


Bring on the Girls

by gladsomemind



Series: TMATNB [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-28
Updated: 2008-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-21 12:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6051004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladsomemind/pseuds/gladsomemind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Explanations are demanded</p><p>Old LJ Fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bring on the Girls

After being dismissed from the field, Merlin returned the baskets to the kitchens and was told that Gwen was looking for him. Knowing she was likely to be with Morgana around now, he made his way back up to the royal apartments. When he knocked on her door, Morgana opened it herself and with a furtive look up and down the corridor dragged him into her room. Gwen was already there, calmly tidying the room.

The two women exchanged glances and, as if they had discussed and planned what they were going to do, Gwen stepped forward and took Merlin’s hand.

“Merlin, what happened last night?” At her words Merlin went bright red, pulled his hand away and turned to look out of the window. The only thing he could see was Arthur walking up and down shouting at the recruits. An act that couldn’t have been comfortable with the head he must have.

“Nothing.” The word was shaky and without looking at them he knew that the women didn’t believe him. After the conversation of the previous day and Arthur’s behaviour he supposed he couldn’t blame them for that.

“Really nothing, well OK something but not anything I am going to tell you about.” He went red again. “I don’t think Arthur remembers today and you aren’t to say anything!” At this, his gaze went back and forth between the others. “You mustn’t say anything. He was drunk, he passed out, he doesn’t remember. This problem is for me to sort out not you and I want you to drop it.”

The women still didn’t look convinced. Pushing his sleeves up to start the hand waving part of the explanation turned out to be the next major mistake. The marks from the rope were clearly visible and Morgana visibly blanched.

“Nothing? You call that nothing? How can you protect him when it’s clear that he hurt you?”

Merlin sighed. Okay so some of the truth was going to have to come out. “Fine, he dragged me to his room, it was a bit iffy to begin with then it started to get interesting.  He got as far as tying me to the bed.” The grin on Gwen’s face at this point was almost too much to bear. “Then he passed out. There is nothing to tell. I spent the next hour listening to him snore his drunken arse off before I went to sleep.”

Morgana stared to snicker behind her hand. “Oh that’s just not fair! He shouldn’t get to play with you like that and then leave you hanging. So to speak.” The snicker dissolved into giggles and the two women ended up leaning on each other as their laughter fuelled each other’s fits.

As it was best to keep these two on your side, a fact that Arthur seemed to be incapable of grasping, Merlin decided that there was at least one other snippet he could share. “Oh, and this morning, when he finally came round the first thing he did was fall off the bed.”

At this Morgana collapsed onto the stool at the table. “Oh Merlin, and we thought he had finally realised that isn’t actually interested in anyone at court because all of his attention is devoted to you.”

Merlin ducked his head. “Well I still don’t believe you about that but I do know that I am going to get him back for the lack of follow through. However, it needs to be in my own time. You can’t, either of you, let him know that you know anything. You can’t treat him any different. Things have to stay the same.”

He went to leave. “I am alright. There is nothing that Arthur did to me that I wasn’t happy to have him do. If it did come down to it, best knight in Camelot or not, if I wasn’t fine then I would have stopped him.” He gestured to his wrists. “Of course, if the chance comes to pay him back for these then I am going to take it.”

***

Finally getting back to Arthur’s chambers, Merlin completed the rest of the chores with a quick twinkle in his eye. The bulk of his afternoon needed to be spent planning his next move and the best way to go about it. A judicious choice of clothes for the evening meal would go some way to ensure that Arthur didn’t have the best time of it this evening either. 

Merlin was to have the evening off, so he could do some studying with Gaius, and Arthur had agreed the week before that he could sort himself out for bed this evening. All he had to do was pick the flashiest clothes, those that took practice putting on and taking off, and Arthur was going to be stuck sleeping in them. A petty vengeance, but it was the least that was due after the uncomfortable night Merlin had spent.

All that was left to do was not make Arthur suspicious that something was going on. Merlin knew that Morgana wouldn’t be trusted, or Gwen for that matter, not to make some comment to Arthur and the longer it went on the less likely it would become.

A move would have to be made tonight.


End file.
